Foodie Penpals: On Tap For Today! Plus, a Special Surprise!

I know it seems that I’m posting this a few days before the end of the month, which I am. Why? Because Lindsay(The Lean Green Bean) doesn’t like to post reveal days on weekends. So she wanted all of the FPP gang to post their reveal days today. So here I am with another Foodie Pen Pal Reveal!
I received my package this month from Elizabeth @ On Tap For Today from Boston!
 
It got here a little late, so I haven’t been able to try anything yet but I definitely will keep the blog posted and updated when I go along and get everything nommed down. When I finally got the package though, you could only imagine my excitement and when I saw that adorable Frenchie on the cover of my package I couldn’t help but smile.
 
 
She also made me smile with the adorable card and pencils. One cant have too many of those laying around, now can they? The lighter pink one reads “Wear Sequins At Breakfast." The darker ones reads “Be Silly." I like the messages a lot. Sometimes I do need to let loose and just go with more of the flow and just get silly! I’ve been so stressed lately with figuring schooling out and everything that I just sometimes want to rip my hair out. Don’t even get me started about my day today. Let’ just say.. nut jobs shouldn’t be able to get behind the wheel of a vehicle. (Elizabeth, I want your handwriting-gorgeous!)
 

Elizabeth may just be a mind reader because she sent me things that I’ve been dying to try! I even told her that the package just screams my name because it’s just absolutely perfect! This is the stuff I like to see in my packages.

I’ve tried the Lightly Salted Edamame before(I got that in a previous package) and I loved em’ so these I’m feeling pretty confident about loving these just like the others. I’m familiar with the Peeled Snack brand but I haven’t tried their dried fruit yet, so I’m excited to try it out! I love my tea, so the Green Tea Kombucha Decaf sounds fantastic!

The Good Bean brand is another brand I’m familiar with and I have always envied those who received some in their foodie packages. Well, finally I get my share thanks to Elizabeth. The flavor is right up my alley- sweet cinnamon with a hint of vanilla! Gin-Gins, yet again, I have heard of, but have never got myself to get at the store on my own. So now that I have no excuses I’ll definitely be trying em’ out.

Elizabeth even thought of Lilly - how sweet!  This was seriously a marvelous foodie pen pals package.  Thank you so much, Elizabeth! Lilly says thank you too! These are Banana chips that Elizabeth gives her Frenchie and he loves em’. Lillian, my fur-daugher, likes to just lick and sniff em’. So she’s a little unsure about em’ but if push comes to shove I’ll just eat em’ for myself. Lilly told me to tell you, Elizabeth, that she does appreciate the thought though!

I sent a package over to Jeniffer @ Jen’s Journey with a Mexican “flare" to it. Check out her blog to see what I sent her.

Now you all may be wondering what “the special surprise" is.

Remember my awesome foodie penpal from last month, Reneé ? Well, to my surpirse(and must I say delight!) she sent me another package this month. Last month she had asked me what I was craving from Trader Joe’s and I had brought up the roasted coconut chips from Trader Joe’s. Unfortunately for me, at the time, they were out of them. So I had to do without. Fortunately though, Reneé had left the chips on her grocery list that she had given to her daughter and her daughter bought her a few packages of the coconut chips. The lovely Reneé thought about me, and sent me three packages of the deliciousness my way!

I told you guys, she was awesome didn’t I? I was so surprised, giddy, and appreciative about the kind gesture. I even sent her out a thank you card.

Reneé, if your reading this just know that your one wonderful person and I hope you got your card. Thank you so so much! You seriously made my day!

Interested in becoming a Foodie Penpal yourself? Here’s the details:

• On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
• You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!
• The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
• You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
• Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.
• Foodie Penplas is open to US & Canadian residents. Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa.

If you’re interested in participating for July, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions. You must submit your information by July 4th as pairings will be emailed on July 5th!

Noms of the Week #8 and Kitten Love

Meals and snackage from the past three weeks. I know, I know. Talk about late. I’ve been busy then I starting not feeling well for a few days. I'm talking about constant nausea and exhaustion. My bed was pretty much the couch for a good number of days. So these meals aren’t my best but their something.

Speaking of me not feeling well- when I was sick to my stomach and nauseous and laying on the couch. I had a few wonderful companions with me. Slyvester and a couple kittens kept me company when I wasn’t feeling my best. Warmed my heart a bit.


My favorite(sssh) little Nigra slept with me the whole time. Never left my side.

She's such a little sweetheart.

Then Avi joined in on the sleep session. If I could keep any of the kittens it would be these two.

(Yes, we have kittens. Eight of them. They are growing up so fast. 3-4 months old already. Soon I'm going to have to find them homes. Actually, I need to find them homes NOW. I'm in the process of doing so though. So I'm hoping I can re-home them all in the next couple weeks.)

*If you know anyone in Central Indiana who would love a little furry companion, please let me know! We have three pure black ones(2 boys, 1 girl) and the other 5 are black and white. They are all so adorable and loving. They all deserve wonderful homes.

Now that my "please take one of our kittens" talk is over. It's time to talk about what this post is really all about. My food from the past three weeks.

1. Organic Romaine Salad with Organic Quinoa, Cooked Organic Mushrooms, Organic Red Bell Pepper and Organic Summer Squash. Fat free Balsamic Vinaigrette, Edamame Hummus with Roasted Red Pepper.
2. Quick and easy dinner. Ryan’s choice. Rigatoni Pasta with Tomato Sauce and Edamame Hummus. Yes, I like hummus mixed in with my sauce on my pasta.
3. Lazy day. Amy’s* Light and Lean Sweet and Sour Asian Noodles with bowlful of plain Organic Romaine Salad. No dressing or anything added.
4. Spaghetti Night! Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce and Vegan Parmesan. Garlic bread made with Earth Balance Soy free Margarine and Garlic Powder. Salad with leftover Quinoa Mixture and Edamame Hummus.
5. Boca* Vegan Patty with 1/2 Avocado, Green beans,Roasted Red Potatoes.
6. Date with Ryan @ Chiptole. I got a Vegan Burrito Bowl with Brown Rice, Black beans, Fiesta Vegetables, Pico De Gallo, Roasted Chili-Corn Salsa, Guacamole, and Romaine. I decided to try something new. The bowl was yummy, but next time I’m going to do without the corn salsa. I’m just not a corn fan, but I figured I’d test my test buds just to be sure. Still a corn hater.

1 & 2:  Dream Water. I got couple of these waters in my last month’s Conscious Box and just now tried them out this week. Hard to say if they work or not, considering the first time I drank one I was already exhausted. As for the second time, I did feel more relaxed but it was still a little difficult to fall asleep.
3. Whole Wheat Uncrustable, Seedless Grapes. I got Ryan’s mom hooked on those PB&J sandwiches. So she bought us three boxes of them! Not the healthiest thing in the world, but they don’t hurt if I have them every so often.
4.  Homemade Pasta Salad(with loads of vegetables) with a Fruit Cup over at my grandparent’s. My grandmother actually brought me back a couple fruit cups back from this Church Picnic she went to before I made the pasta salad for her and my grandad. (yes, it’s vegan)
5. Quaker* High Fiber Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal, Small Organic Gala Apple with TJ* Raw Almonds.
6. Big Fruit Bowl! Watermelon, Melon, Cantaloupe, Pineapple, Grapes.



1. Fresh Market* Cranberry Broccoli Slaw, Whole Wheat Uncrustable.
2. Still loving Silk* Fruit and Protein Strawberry Banana Juice. A must for when I was sick.
3. Izze Grapefruit Sparkling Juice/Water. I’ve been wanting to try Izze drinks for awhile. When Ryan was ordering something to eat, I noticed that the place we were at sold them so I asked for one to try out since at that time I wasn’t hungry. I loved it. I mean, I really loved it. It has almost 3 servings of fruit in just one bottle and it’s only 160 calories. I’m sold. Need more. (Not my picture. I take no credit in it, I simply got it from the internet because my camera wasn’t with me and my phone was died)
4. Strawberry Banana Smoothie for on the road nausea. Does wonders, I’m telling you. (I have a friend that words at BK and I told her to not add milk, just a little water, into my smoothie. She laughed and told me she actually had brought some almond milk from home for her lunch and offered to put some of that into it in exchange for the dairy milk. I happily agreed! I love her.)


Ryan and I also munched through this entire bag of Light Salted Snap pea Crips one night while watching television.
 

Foodie Penpals: Illinoisian Love.

You know how I was paired up with two local Hoosiers last month right? Well, guess what. Pretty much the same thing happened again. Only this time I was a paired up to send to and receive from two lovely ladies from Illinois.

I sent off a package filled with a couple Dark Chocolate bars(one had expresso beans in it!) Vanilla Chai mix, and The Fresh Market* Banana Split Trail Mix and Vegetable Chips to Christie in Chicago IL.


I, in return, received the best package I’ve received so far this year, from Reneé in Alton IL.

From the amazing questionnaire that Reneé gave me right at the get go when we first made contact, to the beautiful package, and finally the final product: My wonderful foodie package that was literally filled to the brim with so much. I just kept pulling stuff out getting more and more excited by the second. Reneé, you outdid your self. You spoiled me rotten!

First looks of the package and a beautiful postcard of Eveleen Myers. Speaking of postcards, that’s not the only one she sent me. (Is that trek mix I see?)

She sent me three! Can you believe it? Awesome. Two postcards, the other of where she lives in Illinois. Then an actual card that she wrote in for me. I go to say, I may have to actual travel over to Illinois whenever I get the chance to. Alton looks like a beautiful place to visit.

Was I right about that being trek mix? I sure was! My favorite one at that(also Reneé's daughter’s favorite) plus an awesome assortment of dried fruit and nuts. The cranberries will make home in beds upon beds of dark greens. I’ve never tried dried blueberries before (shocking, I know, since I love my blueberries) so I’m still in the works on what it is I want to do with them. I want to bake with them, but making some sort of trail mix or granola with them also sounds good. They could even maybe possibly join the cranberries and be a part of a salad. Mmm. The possibilities are endless. The raw almonds are already practically gone, thanks to Ryan. I got in a couple handfuls for a snack but he’s been chomping down on them like they are going out of style.

A new spice called Dukkah that I’ve never even heard of before. Apparently it’s good to dip into bread with a little olive oil and then the dukkah. It’s also good for seasoned vegetables. The ingredients list states its made from: almonds, sesame seeds, fennel seeds, coriander, anise seeds and kosher salt. Sounds wonderful doesn’t it? I told Reneé I’d take a new type of spice over a ready-meal any day. Reneé definitely saw through my blog that I enjoy a good cup of tea, so she included a few packets of some of her Vanilla Chai as well. Which is great since I hadn’t received tea in a package in a long time and this flavor is amazing iced with some almond milk on a hot, humid, Indiana day.

Reneé had asked me what a treasured family dish of mine was. All I could think about was pasta dishes that my grandmother and mother had made me back when I was little and while I was just a vegetarian. So she kindly included a new pasta for me to try plus a cute little game that I played with Ryan's sister's boyfriend's daughter, Cadence, one day when I was babysitting her. Which I thought was very thoughtful since she didn’t have to include anything other than food items. I’m not going to lie though, I love to be surprised with fun, random, unexpected items in my boxes so I loved it.

I saved the best for last. This jar of pure heaven. I could just smell the aroma leaking out of the jar. I told Reneé that I’ve been wanting to experiment with more lavender products since I’ve always been fascinated with using lavender in baking. She kindly made me this sugar and explained to me what to do with it in her card. I cannot wait to find a recipe so I can start baking with it. I’ll definitely keep you guys posted on how my experimenting turns out and if I make anything worth sharing since I haven’t posted an actual recipe in months.

Are you interested in becoming apart of this trendy, addicting, and downright awesome swap? Yes? Then please keep reading!

Interested in becoming a Foodie Penpal yourself? Here’s the details:

• On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
• You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!
• The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
• You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
• Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.
• Foodie Penplas is open to US & Canadian residents. Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa.

If you’re interested in participating for June, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions. You must submit your information by June 4th as pairings will be emailed on June 5th!

Noms of the Week #8 and Memorial Weekend

Lots of random snacking this week. Plus a couple dinners with the boyfriend and friends that were not pictured. So I’m mashing all of what I’ve eaten together, not stating categories such as “meals”, or “snackage.”

I also have very good news to share with you all! I got my driving license Wednesday! So naturally, I’ve been driving around like it’s the bee’s knees. There’s nothing more amazing than to blast your music on high, and just drive with the windows down and not having an elder(who doesn’t like your type of music) criticize or complain about what you're playing. I finally feel like an accomplished adult. Graduated, got my license, now I just need to go job hunting and I’ll be set until college starts.

I know I haven’t really talked much about what I decided to do with my life, college wise, other than just saying I was lost about what I want to do. Well, I’ve finally decided! I’ve given up my cosmetology idea for nutrition. Since I figure I believe in healthy living and love to study and learn about the subject on a regular basis. So I’m going to go road tripping with my grandparents to the west coast(California) in September with Ryan. I’m so pumped up! I start college in October!

Also, this weekend was Memorial day. So I spent some time with the family. My uncle Adam, his wife, and adopted daughter Riley came over to visit. Then Emma came up to visit with Riley and I as well.  I went antiquing with my grandmother, Adam's wife, and Ryan on Saturday while the girls were at the pool. Well, really, we only got to go into one shop since beforehand Ryan and I stopped at Pizza King since Ryan was hungry from a busy day at work.


My lovely boyfriend in his uniform and all.

Also.. I've found I have an obsession with flannels lately.


Love em'. 

Now to get back on subject. Here are 9/10 of the things I've eaten this week.

1. Subway* 6 inch on honey oat bread with all the vegetables except lettuce(including avocado!) with sweet onion sauce. (Other half eaten in the next day for lunch)
2. 2 slices of Rosemary Sea salt Bread with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 1 TBSP TJ* Dukkah. Side of 1 cup Organic Broccoli Sprouts.
3. Organic Gala Apple, Whole Wheat Uncrustable, 8 fl. oz Silk* Fruit & Protein Strawberry Banana Juice. (I saw the more healthy uncrustables at Walmart while I was with Ryan. They used to be a childhood favorite of mine, so I figured why not? I did find a bad ingredient in them after devouring the box but I’m not going to kick myself about it. High fructose corn syrup. Why must you be in practically everything!?)
4. 1 1/2 cups of Organic Romaine Salad with 3/4 Organic Avocado, Orient Express Vegan Pocket.

1. The rest of the Dry Roasted Almonds.
2. TJ* Vanilla & Cinnamon Black tea with Stevia. (Who says I can't enjoy a winter seasonal tea in May?)
3. Chocolate Dipped Coconut Luna Bar on the road.
4. Pineapple!

1. Strawberry/Blueberry Smoothie with almond milk.
2. Tofu Scramble; 3 1/4 oz Organic Firm Tofu with 1/4 cup Onion, 1/3 cup Organic(from the garden) Asparagus, 1/2 cup Organic Broccoli. It was a little dry for my liking(I had no hummus or avocado on hand!) So I added 1 TSP Vegan Parmesan Flavoring, and some El Pinto* Medium Salsa along with it on 2 slices of Ezekiel 4:9* Sprouted Flax Bread.
3. Wheat berry Salad(wheat berries, red pepper, raisins, fresh parsley, honey ginger vinaigrette)
4. Rice-stuffed Grape Leafs. 

Noms of the Week #7

I was debating if I should wait another week to post this since this NOTW would be a short due to me eating leftovers the majority of the week. Though, I figured, I might as well post since I like to be able to post these on time.

Meals:

1. Dinner @ grandparents: Pasta Dish; Organic Whole Wheat Pasta, Organic Broccoli, Dark Kidney Beans, Garlic, Sauteed Peppers and Mushrooms, Vegan Parmesan Flavoring, Organic Italian Herb Pasta Sauce. (Made this for myself and the family while I was visiting one day)
2. Subway* 6 inch of wheat bread with all the vegetables(including avocado!) except lettuce, sweet onion sauce. (Ate the other half the next day for lunch)
3. Spinach Salad: Spinach(washed), Organic Red Bell Pepper, Olives, Broccoli, Carrots, Organic Falafel Patty, Edamame Hummus, Cindy’s Kitchen* Fat free Balsamic Vinaigrette.
4. Lots of leftovers from the Pasta Dish.

 The church that my grandmother attends, and that I’ve previously attended, held a special Senior Brunch for the seniors of the church to congratulate us for graduating. So on Sunday(yesterday), I got to enjoy some Blueberry Baked Oatmeal with Homemade Cinnamon Syrup and a Fruit Bowl. Take note: I was exhausted, coffee-deprived, and it was all eyes on me since I was the first person to go up and get my food. I kinda just grabbed that cranberry-orange muffin by shear impulse since I didn't want anyone to wonder why I wasn't getting that much but as soon as my grandmother got her plate and sat down beside me I handed it off to her. 

After Brunch, and well, even a little bit before-hand. I was handed a couple presents and cards.The pastor gave me a Study Bible, Bev(one of my grandmother's friends) gave me a Graduation Hat that had pictures of me when I attended study school when I was younger. Ah, the memories. Not to mention how different I looked back in the day. Wow. Then Barb(the other graduate's grandmother) gave me a beautiful card with a gift card in it! Then the pastor and his wife spoke to us for about 10 minutes before church started. I stayed downstairs with my grandmother and helped out with the nursery kids.

Snackage:

1. Strawberry Banana Smoothies for Ryan and I. Made with almond milk.
2. I snacked on these almonds that my grandmother bought me all week long.
3. Graw bar, that I found in this month's conscious box.
4. Fresh Market* Rice-stuffed Grape Leafs.

Noms of the Week #6

Holy crap. I actually am posting this semi-on time. All of my other NOTW have been my food from the past two weeks due to not taking enough pictures, not taking pictures at all of my food, etc. So wow, only one day late. I'm pretty proud of myself.

Anyway, without further to do, here is my Noms of the Week!

Meals:

1. Annie Chun's* Udon Soup Bowl.
2. Amy's* Low Sodium Minestrone Soup.
3. Lunch @ 3 Rivers: Falafal Wrap. (Whole wheat tortilla, tomato, cucumber, falafal, tahini, avocado) I haven't had lunch at my co-op I go to in a long time. This is my favorite item on their menu. Truth be told, it's the only thing I've ever tried there but it's a winner. Maybe one day I'll expand and try something new.
4. Dinner over at the grandparents: Organic Romaine with Organic Broccoli, Olives/Peppers, and Mushrooms from The Fresh Market Olive Bar, 2 slices of Ezekiel 4:9* Flax Sprouted Bread with Avocado.

1. Annie Chun's* Sprouted Brown Sticky Rice with cooked Broccoli, Snap peas, and Carrots marinated in Organicville* Sesame Teriyaki.
2. Red & Gold Coconut Quinoa Salad from The Fresh Market, Homemade Thai Noodle Salad(since The Fresh Market's has fish in theirs) and 1/2 an Avocado.
3. Vanilla Soy Yogurt with Organic Gala Apple, Grapes, and Kashi* Go Lean Crisp! Toasted Berry Crumble Cereal.
4. Brown Rice Vegetarian Sushi. (Vegan, as long as you don't use the wasabi)

Snackage:

1. Be proud: I tested myself. With the help of Ryan, I'm slowly beginning to get over my fear of liquid calories. I don't usually buy a lot of juices/ready-made smoothies, but this particularly one gets a lot of raves. I had gotten it to try and I also figured Ryan would enjoy it but unfortunately he thinks the soy milk in it makes it taste weird. But I think he's weird because I think this tastes great! Just means more for me.
2. On those days where you fail to get even close to your 25g of fiber. There is Luna Fiber.

So there it is. My weekly intake for last week. Not everything because of course I failed to take pictures Monday and Friday but that's just to be expected by me at this point. 

Noms of the Week #5

This NOTW is a little short. I have been in the process of moving out of my grandparent's house so I haven't had the time to really take many pictures of what I shove into my mouth lately.

1. Quaker* Old Fashioned Oats with Ola* Vanilla Almond Granola,TJ* Shredded Sweetened Coconut, Organic Goji Berries, 1 TBSP Ground Flaxseed, 2 1/4 TBSP Peanut Butter & Co* White Chocolate Wonderful Peanut Butter.
2. Annie Chun’s* Sprouted Brown Sticky Rice with cooked Yellow Bell Pepper,  Asparagus, Onion, Mushrooms, 3 Gardein* Seven Grain Tenders, 3 TBSP Organicville* Sesame Teriyaki.
3. Medium Potato with 1/2 Daiya* Jalapeno Garlic Wedge, 1/3 El Pinto* All Natural Medium Salsa;  Organic 50/50 Blend with Asparagus, Mushrooms, Organic Sun-dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil, Olives, Gardein* Chik’n Strips, 1/2 TSP Vegan Grated Parmesan Flavoring, 1 TBSP Cindy’s Kitchen* Fat free Balsamic Vinaigrette.
4. Smart & Delicious* Large Whole Wheat Tortilla with  Organic Romaine, Cherry Tomato, Organic Kidney Beans, Serving Gardein* Chik’n Strips, 1 1/4 Daiya* Jalapeno Garlic Havarti Style Wedge, 2/3 El Pinto* Medium Salsa, 1/2 TSP Vegan Parmesan Flavoring.

1. Kashi* Mayan Harvest Bake Frozen Meal. I’m not one to usually buy frozen meals but I’ve heard good things about this one. The turn out was actually pretty nice for a frozen meal. 8g of fiber, 9g of protein.. only 380mg of sodium which is actually decent for a frozen meal. I’d buy one again in case of a lazy day such as today.
2. No Cheese Vegetable Pizza from Pizza Hut. Thin crust of course.
3. Was over at the new place all day, trying put everything together and got so busy that totally forgot to eat! Ryan was hungry as well, and since I had nothing in the fridge yet we just drove over to Harvey Hinklemeyers and I got a big salad from the salad bar. (The pasta salad was for him)
4. Sometimes you just need an oreo.. or two.